Read The 'Bridgegate' Report Prepared By Chris Christie's Lawyers

Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher LLP, the high-powered law firm
hired by the office of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in
January to conduct an internal review into the "Bridgegate"
scandal released its report Thursday. As
expected, the lawyers, who received at least $1 million in
legal fees paid for by state taxpayers exonerate the governor and
found no evidence he played a role in last September's lane
closures on the George Washington Bridge or an alleged scheme to
withhold Hurricane Sandy aid funds from Hoboken, N.J. unless the
mayor there approved a real estate development.

According to the report, the attorneys conducted "interviews with
more than 70 witnesses" and reviewed "more than 250.000
documents" to investigate the allegations surrounding the bridge
closures and Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's claim Christie
administration officials
threatened to keep Sandy relief funds from her city unless
she approved a project proposed by developers represented by a
law firm founded by a close ally of the governor. The lane
closures led to widespread gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J. for four
days in September 2013. Some Democrats have alleged they were
ordered by Christie's allies because Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich
declined to endorse the governor's re-election bid last year. The
lane closures and the Christie administration's handling of Sandy
funds are being investigated by the New Jersey legislator and
federal prosecutors.

Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher's report concluded Christie's
ex-deputy chief of staff, Bridget Ann Kelly, and David Wildstein,
a former official at the Port Authority of New York & New
Jersey, which oversees the bridge, both "knowingly participated"
in the plan to shut the lanes "at least in some part, for some
ulterior motive to target Mayor Sokolich." Prior to the closures,
Kelly wrote an infamous email to Wildstein declaring it was,
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

"Got it," Wildstein replied.

However, in spite of finding Kelly and Wildstein orchestrated the
closures to "target" Sokolich, the report declared the idea his
endorsement was the reason the lanes were shut was "not
established by the evidence that we have seen."

"What motivated the act is not yet clear," the report said of the
decision to close the lanes.

The report found two other Christie allies, his former campaign
manager, Bill Stepien, and former Port Authority executive Bill
Baroni "knew" about the plan to close the lanes "in advance," but
were not aware of any "ulterior motive." Port Authority officials
initially said the lanes were shut for a "traffic study." Gibson,
Dunn, and Crutcher's report also noted Kelly and Stepien were
"personally involved" for several months last year though the
"relationship" eventually "cooled" and they "largely stopped
speaking" by August, the month before the closures.

The Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher report concluded Christie played
no role in the closures and that no members of his staff besides
Kelly were involved in the decision to shut the lanes.

"Our investigation found that Governor Christie did not know of
the lane realignment beforehand and had no involvement in the
decision to realign the lanes," the report said. "We have
not found any evidence of any other member of the Governor's
staff, besides Bridget Kelly, being involved in the decision to
realign these George Washington Bridge toll lanes at Fort Lee."

The report completely dismissed Zimmer's accusations about Sandy
aid.

"Our investigation found that Mayor Zimmer's allegations are, in
material respects, demonstrably false. They are contradicted by
contemporaneous documents, other witnesses' accounts, and her own
prior statements," said the report.

In light of the findings regarding the lane closures, the report
made a series of recommendations to the governor's office
including; establishing restrictions on staffers using personal
emails for official business, appointing both an "ombudsperson
within the governor's office" and a "chief ethics officer." The
report also advised Christie's office to work with the office of
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to appoint a commission to recommend
reforms to "restructure the Port Authority," which is a bi-state
agency.

Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher attorneys are currently holding a
press conference at their office in Manhattan to discuss the
report. We will provide further updates as we read through the
documents and hear their statements.